Sleeper for railways, &amp;c.



EXAMlNEl uuu. uuml UolllUli, UUs nIUHCB COATING 0R PLASTIC. 97

,Y Patented Jan. 30, |900.

- P. czlGLEn.

SLEEPER FUR RAILWAYS. c.

(Application led Nov. 28, 1898.)

'mi norms reruns cc. moaumo. vul-Ilmo@ n c.

DUH l INU Un l'LHO l Ib.

No. 642,30I. Pateted lan. 30, |900.

P. CZIGLER.

SLEEPEB FUR RAILWAYS, &c.

(Applcnton filed Nov. 28, 1898.) (lo Nudel.) A" 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

vul: nouns Futurs w. rwoTo-Lrruu sum-.Tou n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL CZIGLER, OF MURA KIRABY, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

SLEEPER FOR RAILWAYS, 80C.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 642,301, dated January 30, 1900.

Application filed November 28| 1898. Serial NoA 697,581. (No model.)

To al?. whom it muy concern:

2e it known that I, PAUL CZIGLER, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-I-Ilnigary, residing at Mura Kiraby, inthe Empire of Austria-Hungary, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sleepers for Railways and the Like, (for which I have applied for patents in Germany, dated October 27, 1898; in Austria, dated November 5, 1898; in Hungary, dated October-23, 1898; in France, dated November 3, 1898; in Belgium, dated November 3,1898; in Italy, dated November 2, 1898; in Sweden, dated October 31, 1898; in Norway, dated November 3, 1898; in Denmark, dated October 3l, 1898, and in Switzerland, dated October' 81, 1898,) of which the following is a specification.

The rapid growth of railway traiiic and the continuousincrease of speed in traveling have so enlarged the claims on the maintenance of the permanent way that such maintenance has ceased to be able to fully answer the requirements. This applies more particularly to the sleepers,ordinarily of wood,which have the great defect that in consequence of the rotting of the wood the sleepers require frequent renewals, which greatly increases the costof maintenance.

The object of this invention is to substitute for the sleepers hitherto used other devices answering in every respect the present requirements and capable of being easilymanufactured, while at the saine time surpassing in elasticity and durability the wood and iron sleepers hitherto used and being on account of their extraordinary power capable ot bearing the greatest weights or loads.

This new sleeper is produced in a press from a plastic mass which becomes hard and has outwardly a similar shape to that of wooden sleepers, but is hollow inwardly and is strengthened by a wire-netting.

This improved sleeper is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is avert-ical longitudinal section of the sleeper. Fig.2 is a cross-section thereof, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the saine.

The cross-section of the sleeper has the shape of a trapezium, which is more particularly adaptable to consolidate the permanent way. This shape is the same outwardly and inwardly. The hollow part :ris provided, at

the parts where the rails a or the chairs bare laid,with web-pieces c. As the walls increase in thickness at the top and toward the center, the hollow part or tubular longitudinal channel flares toward both ends,so that the webpieces c can be tightly driven in. The wirenetting, which is placed in the center of the wall thickness, surrounds the hollow part like a culvert and consists of closed arched ribs (l, which brace up the sleepers and imparta considerable amount of elasticity thereto. These ribs d are formed with longitudinal wire chains in order to increase the resistance of the sleeper-to traction. The chain-wires c are suspended at their ends to the ribs d.

The material of the sleeper consists of a mixture of Portland cement and coarse coalslag, which can be readily molded in presses and forms, after it is dry, alirm and exceedingly tenacious mass.

The web-pieces c, which are used to receive the rail-spikes f, consist of a peculiar elastic mass composed of as halt tar and river-sand.to which is addedimiighair r o o her animal hair. A protectingsheath t' of the same e as mass surrounds the whole of the outer wall of the sleeper for the purpose of protecting the latter and preventing it from being squashed or to protect it from the eects of coneussions or of other outwardly injurious damaging influence. The elastic web parts c are held or fastened on both sides by plugs 71, formed of the same material as the sleeper and which, being comparatively stiiic or inelastic, prevent the undesirable expansion of the plastic web parts c. The holes g for the spikes extend as far as the web parts c and are bored or drilled in the body of the sleeper before the latter is subjected to pressure, Fig. 3. As already stated,the sleepers herein described are made by presses and are originally hollow throughout. The wire-netting d e is iirst suspended in the press-mold and is temporarily fixed by means of removable nails, which are withdrawn after the necessary pre'ssure has been exerted in the molds. In the middle of the wire-netting is arranged before compression takes place a core having for its object to form the hollow space This core is composed of a number of parts or sections having a crueiform shape and is withdrawn at IOO both ends after compression from the finished sleeper. After the sleeper has hardened, the web-pieces or plugs c are driven in position. The whole mass forms, aft-er petrifying or hardeniug,a thoroughly tenacious and elastic sleeper wherein no warping can take place', as with wooden sleepers, while owin g to the particular manner in which it is manufactured it has a much more regular form than the wooden sleepers hitherto used. The webpieces c hold the driven spikes rinly in consequence of the elasticity of the material and have, moreover, the advantage that after removing the spikes the holes close themselves again, so that a new spike can be driven again `in the same place, whereas a spike cannot be driven twice in the same place in wooden sleepers, and hence the latter soon become useless.

The wire-netting imparts considerable elasticity and tenacity to the sleeper, so that the latter cannot be possibly torn asunder.

What I claim,and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. The combination with a railway-sleeper having a tubular longitudinal channel flaring toward an end of the sleeper,an elastic wedge shaped supporting-body in the tubular flaring space, and plugs of comparatively stili material on each side of said elastic supportingbody.

2. A hollow railway-sleeper comprising a metallic skeleton coated externally and internally with a composition containing cement and coarse coal, in combination with fillingpieces in said sleeper containing asphalt, tar, animal-hair and sand.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

PAUL CZIGLER.

vitnessesz JOSEPH WICKMANN, llloLwARosKY. 

